Protests flare in Brazil over dissatisfaction with government services
Demonstrations have flared across Brazil in the last 24 hours amid widespread dissatisfaction with government services. Here’s the AP with the details:
“More than 100,000 people were in the streets Monday for largely peaceful protests in at least eight big cities… In Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic hub, at least 65,000 protesters gathered Monday at a small, treeless plaza then broke into three directions in a Carnival atmosphere, with drummers beating out samba rhythms as people chanted anti-corruption jingles. They also railed against the matter that sparked the first protests last week – a 10-cent hike in bus and subway fares.”
Up until last year, Brazil’s economy was surging. But growth has slowed, just as the government is preparing to host soccer’s World Cup next year.
Bruno Garcez, analyst with the BBC’s Brazil Service, says the protests were initially sparked by anger over public transit fares, but they’ve since spawned into something much bigger.
“Now it’s about corruption, it’s against the World Cup,” Garcez says. “Over the last decade or so, millions of people have been lifted out of poverty, so you have now an emerging middle class seeking its voice.”
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